Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
Not Available
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-8
Not Available
Sunset Zone
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Vining/Climbing
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Not Available
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Heart-shaped
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Not Available
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Lots of watering
Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Not Available
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Not Available
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Not Used For Aesthetic Purpose
Beauty Benefits
Not Available
Not Available
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
Yes
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In German
Maus Melone
Malabarspinat
In French
Mousemelon
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
Mousemelon
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
melão rato
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
mysz melona
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
mouse melon
Spinach Malabar
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Cucurbitales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Basellaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Not Available
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Not Available
Number of Species
Not Available
Not Available
Importance of Mouse Melon and Malabar Spinach
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Mouse Melon and Malabar Spinach. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Mouse Melon and Malabar Spinach as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Mouse Melon is Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation and Rich in Iron whereas of Malabar Spinach is Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Mouse Melon has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available while Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available.
Compare Facts of Mouse Melon vs Malabar Spinach
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Mouse Melon vs Malabar Spinach and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Mouse Melon are Throat itching and Vomiting whereas of Malabar Spinach have Not Available respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Mouse Melon has showy fruits and Malabar Spinach has showy fruits. Also Mouse Melon is not flowering and Malabar Spinach is not flowering . You can compare Mouse Melon and Malabar Spinach facts and facts of other plants too.